Parameter and rule creation and modification mechanism for use by a procedure for synthesis of logic circuit designs

Abstract

A logic method for automatically adding new parameters to a data base in a logic synthesis system. Initially, parameter definitions are input to the system and stored in a parameter definition table and used to create functions for accessing the parameter values associated with various components (model instances) in the data base. Both singular and plural access functions are generated for accessing single parameter values and lists of parameter values, respectively. A SETF function for modifying the parameter values is also generated from information in the parameter definition. Parameter values can be inherited from one model instance by another model instance. Each model instance in the data base has a dynamic parameter list associated therewith. Each dynamic parameter list contains entries of parameter name/value pairs. During circuit synthesis, the parameter values of various ones of these entries are modified using the SETF function, which was automatically generated previously. During circuit synthesis, certain model instances are deleted, to be replaced by certain other model instances. When a first model instance is replaced by a second model instance, all the parameter name/value pairs of "inheritable" parameters belonging to the dynamic parameter list of the first model instance are added to the dynamic parameter list of the second model instance. Thus, no information of inheritabel parameters is lost when a model instance is replaced.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for synthesizing logic circuits by parameter creation and modification in a data processing system, the data processing system including a data base, the data base including data base objects each having an internal data type, a first set of Model Instances consisting of connected data base objects of the Model Instance internal data type representing portions of an electrical circuit, at least one data base object having at least one of a first plurality of parameters representing data describing the data base object, each of the first plurality of parameters including a parameter name and a parameter value stored in a dynamic parameter list of the data base object, the method comprising the steps, performed by the data processing system, of: inputting a parameter definition defining a parameter not included in the first plurality of parameters, the parameter definition containing a selected internal data type;   storing the parameter definition in an entry of a parameter definition table in the data base;   generating at least one function, having a function name, to access parameter values associated with data base objects of the selected internal data type; and   storing the name of the generated function as an entry of a macro table in the data base.   
     
     
       2. A method for synthesizing logic circuits by parameter creation and modification in a data processing system, the data processing system including a data base, the data base including data base objects each having an internal data type, a first set of Model Instances consisting of connected data base objects of the Model Instance internal data type representing portions of an electrical circuit, at least one data base object having at least one of a first plurality of parameters representing data describing the data base object, each of the first plurality of parameters including a parameter name and a parameter value stored in a dynamic parameter list of the data base object, the method comprising the steps, performed by the data processing system, of: inputting a parameter definition defining a parameter not included in the first plurality of parameters, the parameter definition containing a selected internal data type;   storing the parameter definition in an entry of a parameter definition table in the data base;   generating at least one function, having a function name, to modify parameter values associated with data base objects of the selected internal data type; and   storing the name of the generated function as an entry of a macro table in the data base.   
     
     
       3. A method for synthesizing logic circuits by parameter creation and modification in a data processing system, the data processing system including a data base, the data base including data base objects each having an internal data type, the internal data type being identified by an internal data type name and an alias, a first set of Model Instances consisting of connected data base objects of the Model Instance internal data type representing portions of an electrical circuit, at least one data base object having at least one of a first plurality of parameters representing data describing the data base object, each of the first plurality of parameters including a parameter name and a parameter value stored in a dynamic parameter list of the data base object, the method comprising the steps, performed by the data processing system, of: generating a singular access function, having a singular access function name, to access parameter values of a first parameter having a parameter name and associated with a data base object of a first internal data type;   generating a plural access function, having a plural access function name, to access parameter values of a first parameter having a parameter name and associated with a plurality of data base objects of the first internal data type;   accessing a keyword table in the data base to identify at least one alias of the first internal data type;   storing an entry, having associated keys, in a macro table in the data base, the entry containing the singular access function name, the keys to the entry comprising the parameter name of the parameter, the identified alias for the first internal type, and a flag indicating the singular access function; and   storing an entry, having associated keys, in a macro table in the data base, the entry containing the plural access function name, the keys to the entry comprising the parameter name of the parameter, the identified alias for the first internal type, and a flag indicating the plural access function.   
     
     
       4. A method for producing compiled rules in a data base of a data processing system, the compiled rules to be used during a process for synthesizing a logic circuit, the data base including data base objects, each data base object having an internal data type and representing a portion of the circuit and each having associated parameters, including a name and a parameter value, a macro table including singular and plural access functions for accessing the parameter values of the data base objects and for accessing connected data base objects along connected paths in the data base, the uncompiled rules including data base access strings comprising sequences of nouns which specify data base objects connected by paths in the data base and which further specify data base objects and associated dynamic parameter lists, the method comprising the steps, performed by the data processor of: repeatedly isolating successive pairs of nouns from a data base access string of a rule, each noun being one of a parameter name and an internal data type;   retrieving an access function from the macro table for each successive pair of isolated nouns, using as keys the isolated nouns and a value representing one of the singular and plural access functions; and   compiling the rule by assembling the retrieved access functions into a nested function that accesses the connected data base objects and associated dynamic parameter lists specified by the data base access string.   
     
     
       5. A method for designing an electrical circuit in a data base of a data processing system, the data base including data base objects each having an internal data type, a first set of Model Instances consisting of connected data base objects of a Model Instance internal data type representing portions of the electrical circuit being replaced by a second set of Model Instances by application of ones of a set of rules, at least one data base object of the Model Instance internal data type having an associated dynamic parameter list stored in the data base and containing parameters describing the data base object, each of the parameters including a parameter name and a parameter value, the method comprising the steps, performed by the data processing system, of: creating an inheritable parameter list in the data base containing names of parameters for which the parameter values are not deleted when an associated Model Instance is replaced;   replacing a Model Instance of the first set by a Model Instance of the second set according to one of the set of rules; and   transferring a parameter value on the dynamic parameter list of the Model Instance of the first set to the dynamic parameter list of the Model Instance of the second set when the name of the parameter is on the inheritable parameter list.   
     
     
       6. A method for designing an electrical circuit in a data base of a data processing system, the data base including data base objects each having an internal data type, a first set of Model Instances consisting of connected data base objects of a Model Instance internal data type representing portions of the electrical circuit being replaced by a second set of Model Instances by application of ones of a set of rules, at least one data base object of the Model Instance internal data type having an associated dynamic parameter list stored in the data base and containing parameters describing the data base object, each of the parameters including a parameter name and a parameter value, the method comprising the steps, performed by the data processing system, of: creating an inheritable parameter list in the data base containing names of parameters for which the parameter values are not deleted when an associated Model Instance is replaced;   replacing a Model Instance of the first set by a plurality of Model Instances of the second set according to one of the set of rules; and   transferring a parameter value on the dynamic parameter list of the Model Instance of the first set to the dynamic parameter lists of the plurality Model Instances of the second set when the name of the parameter is on the inheritable parameter list.